The Forgotten (17 page)
44
Wallis Tilton was a little concerned about his wife. She'd glared daggers at him all morning and nearly taken his head off when he'd asked if they had any half and half for the coffee. She was behaving totally out of character.
He'd spent the morning weeding, pausing to ask her what he'd done to upset her so much when she hurried out of the house, dressed in neatly tailored navy pants and a white short-sleeved silk blouse. She told him he'd done nothing, she was simply on edge and needed to do the marketing. He watched her go, curious. She hated grocery shopping, always had, and since he'd retired, usually left it to him, since he honestly enjoyed it. She must have wanted to get away awfully bad to take back the job.
There was no ocean breeze at the moment and that let the sun get inland-mean, so he put away his hand tools and went indoors. After washing up, he poured himself a glass of lemonade and settled down in front of the television.
He watched for an hour and as he did, a feeling of unease grew, perhaps pertaining to Doris's behavior, but perhaps not. It was an almost imperceptible feeling, but he'd felt it before, more than once. He couldn't remember where or why or what, maybe never even knew what set off this peculiar uneasiness. But he did know that once he set his mind to it, he'd remember if there was anything specific to recall, and if there was not, his subconscious would work on it and provide him a clue. Maybe two.
45
Officer Eric Hoyle, of Caledonia's finest, returned the icy, brittle stare of icy, brittle Mia Hunt Hartz and briefly wished Kevin were here to say something inappropriate and scathing because if anyone could shatter the facade of this alleged woman, he could.
Putting on his best nice-cop face, he said once again, “I'm sorry, ma'am, but there is no evidence of anyone vandalizing your garden.”
“That doesn't matter. Those children were here, running through the flower beds, jumping over the pond, scaring my koi.”
“Ma'am, that pond is too wide to jump over unless you've got pole-vaulters invading your privacy.”
“I'm going to report you for verbal brutality, young man. Who's your superior?”
Not you.
He couldn't believe he was hearing this. If tongues were reclassified, he could arrest this bitch for assault with a deadly weapon. “Sergeant Jeff Thursday, ma'am. You can reach him at the station.” Jeff wasn't really his watch commander this week, but he was often as not, and he'd get a bigger kick out of this than Sergeant Kate Whitt. She had a sense of humor, but she was younger and more gung-ho than Jeff. She'd chuckle to herself and give him a lecture they both knew he didn't need.
He couldn't believe he was hearing this. If tongues were reclassified, he could arrest this bitch for assault with a deadly weapon. “Sergeant Jeff Thursday, ma'am. You can reach him at the station.” Jeff wasn't really his watch commander this week, but he was often as not, and he'd get a bigger kick out of this than Sergeant Kate Whitt. She had a sense of humor, but she was younger and more gung-ho than Jeff. She'd chuckle to herself and give him a lecture they both knew he didn't need.
“I'll phone him as soon as you leave.”
He knew now she wouldn't. She was the type who'd make him stand there while she called if she had any real intention of doing so. “That's fine. Ma'am, if these children show up again, try to detain them until we get here. There's simply no evidence, otherwise, and since you have no idea who they are, I can't do anything.”
“They're here.”
“What?”
“Are you deaf?” She spat the words and pointed behind him. “Up there in the willow at the back of the yard. Look, damn it!”
He turned and followed her finger to the stately old tree near the back fence. “I see the tree. I don't see or hear any children.”
“Cretin!” She glared at him. “They're climbing down. Use your eyes.”
There was nothing there.
“You get over here, you little monstrosities!” she shrieked.
Eric watched her eyes jet back and forth as if she were watching something. “Ma'am, there's nothing there. Perhaps you should consider talking to a doctor.”
“How dare you!” Her eyes blazed and her hand came up to slap him. He caught it easily and immediately wished he hadn't. He could have taken her in if she'd made contact.
“Hitting an officer of the law will get you thrown in jail.”
“You insulted me.”
“No, ma'am. I merely made a suggestion based on what I see. I see a woman who imagines she sees children in her yard. Good day.”
He started to walk away, then whirled, hearing a distant shriek of childish laughter.
“You heard them. I know you did. Admit it.”
The brittle ice was cracking. “I heard children, but very far away.”
“You still hear them,” she stated.
“No. Not here.”
She didn't reply, but turned and let herself into her house. He went out the back gate. As he closed it, he heard one more burst of faraway laugher. It raised his hackles, but only until he was in his unit, where he found out there'd been a break-in at the Marital Aid Museum and Emporium. He snapped up the call.
46
“Please sit down, Mickey.” Will had to exert all his willpower not to react to the sight of his brother's lackey entering his office.
The little man in the silver hat nodded nervously and chose to perch himself on the edge of the chair opposite Will. “Th-thanks.”
“Would you like some coffee? Water?”
“Water, please.”
“Just a second.” Will left Mickey in the office and walked up to reception, filled a cup with bottled water. “Kevin,” he said softly.
His assistant left his chair facing the waiting room and walked back to Will. “Yes?”
“Did you mean to send me Mr. Elfbones?”
“Yes. He was a phone-in. Oh. I didn't give you the sheet, did I?”
“No.”
Kevin snatched it up and handed it over. Will scanned it quickly, glad to see Mickey didn't want Pete to know he was here. “Thanks. If you're going to read these before giving them to me, try not to let me know about it. I wouldn't want to have to tell you not to do it.”
“Sorry, boss.” Kevin's apology trailed behind Will, who hurried back to Mickey. Time was far too limited to waste today.
“Here you go.” Will handed Mickey the cup.
The man sipped gratefully, hands trembling. “Th-thanks.”
“You're welcome.” The stutter was new, Will thought. The result of terror. “Nothing leaves this room,” he told his patient.
“I wasn't going to take anything.”
“No, I'm sorry, Mickey, that's not what I meant. I take it from your chart that you don't want your bossâmy brotherâto have any idea that you've been here.”
“No. He'd kill me.” His eyes flickered under the hat. “I mean, he wouldn't like it. I meanâ”
“I understand completely. You don't need to worry. Everything you say is confidential.”
“If someone, like a patient, tells him they saw me here, can I tell him I was fixing the cable?”
“Of course.”
Mickey exhaled noisily and relaxed slightly. “Great. Will, I need help.”
“You didn't put the problem on your patient sheet,” Will said, smoothly ignoring the foil hat. “What can I help you with?” He sat back, waiting to hear about the voices.
Mickey surprised him. “I'm afraid of animals. I always have been. I mean, I'm not crazy, there's a reason. Do you remember my father's dogs?”
“Yes, vaguely. Big brutes.”
Mickey smiled for an instant. “Your assistant said we only get twenty minutes, so long story short, those dogs are why I'm afraid of them.”
“I understand. Go on.”
“I was scared shitless of your cat.”
“Fear of cats isn't uncommon.”
“I don't know why cats and just about everything else scares me. It seems like it should just be dogs.”
“Not necessarily. We can talk about that more in the future if you want to. Tell me why you've decided to come here about this now.” Will was dying to know how the foil hat fit in, but he knew better than to ask.
“It's worse than usual. I'm afraid of getting fired if Pete finds out. I couldn't even get past this little tail-wagging wiener dog yesterday. It was littler than your cat and it was friendly, I could see that, but I stood out there like an idiot and yelled until the lady came out and got her dog.”
They talked for a few minutes, then Will called in prescriptions for Paxil and Xanax; the Xanax would help him until the SSRI kicked in. Normally, he would have had Kevin do it, but Mickey was still very antsy. Will thought it best to do it himself instead of writing anything down. Mickey appeared pleased.
“Tell me about the hat,” Will said afterward.
“Oh, it's just a thing my friend's kid made for me.”
“Does it do anything?”
“Uh, what do you mean?”
“Nothing. It just looks like it's supposed to do something. It's sort of futuristic.”
“Yeah, I guess maybe it's a radio hat or a robot hat or something.”
Will stood up. He knew that while the animal phobia was very real, it was the hat that made him come. Mickey would talk about it when he was ready. From the looks of him, Will hoped it wouldn't be long. If he was hearing voices, he needed a different type of drug, but it couldn't be prescribed until he confirmed Will's suspicions.
Poor guy.
“Mickey, make an appointment for two weeks from now when you leave. By then, we should be seeing some results from the Paxil.”
Poor guy.
“Mickey, make an appointment for two weeks from now when you leave. By then, we should be seeing some results from the Paxil.”
He walked Mickey out to reception, where Kevin remembered to hand him the chart for the next patient. Will took it and a fresh cup of coffee back to his office. He read over his notes, but his mind was on Pete. He couldn't help wondering just how many of Mickey's problems had to do with a lifetime spent kissing a bully's ass.
You're not being objective.
But he was. He realized that Pete probably wasn't Mickey's big problemâeven Pete couldn't cause what might turn out to be paranoid schizophrenia. But it was fun to blame him, for a moment, at least.
You're not being objective.
But he was. He realized that Pete probably wasn't Mickey's big problemâeven Pete couldn't cause what might turn out to be paranoid schizophrenia. But it was fun to blame him, for a moment, at least.
47
Maggie returned to the half moon cove at the Crescent at lunch time, to see how the rescue effort was going. It had taken two hours this morning for a rescue group from San Luis Obpispo to arrive, but when they finally did, Maggie was relieved to see Lily Johnson heading the group. Lily wasn't somebody Maggie wanted to socialize withâthe very thought made her cringeâbut the humorless marine biologist, a professor at Cal Poly SLO, was a tough act to follow. All Lily cared about was contained in the ocean, and she and her grad students had set to work immediately.
Now Maggie, carrying a bottle of water and a bag containing an egg salad sandwich, rounded the outcropping and entered the little cove, hoping to find Lily and talk to her. Instead, she found Pete Banning.
So much for my appetite.
So much for my appetite.
“Well, hello there, Maggie,” he said heartily. He bared big white teeth in a bone-crunching grin. “You just missed your friends. They said you found the seals.”
“You saw the seals?”
“Briefly. They took them away. Said they were going to watch them a few days to make sure they weren't sick, then release them. The woman in charge said she'd be in touch.”
“She gave
you
a message for me?” Maggie's annoyance grew.
you
a message for me?” Maggie's annoyance grew.
He laughed. “No, I guess not. She just mentioned it. I said I knew you.”
“Why would I even be mentioned in the first place?”
“I asked how they found the seals.” He looked at the bag. “Having lunch alone today?”
She ignored the question and started to turn. “See you later.”
“Wait.”
“Why?”
“We haven't talked in ages. Years. How are you?”
“We have nothing to talk about.” Anger welled inside her. This manâthis creatureâhad tried to rape her when she was twelve years old. He was sixteen. She was home alone at the time, expecting Will. They were planning on going to the school to shoot some hoops.
When she heard the familiar knock on the door, she'd called, “It's open,” without leaving the kitchen where she was finishing washing breakfast dishes. When he'd come up behind her and put his hands on her hips, she felt a little thrill because she still thought he was Will.
But the bastard had copied his knock. Without saying anything, he nuzzled her neck and the feel of his breath, the touch of his lips, aroused her pubescent hormones. She felt delightfully naughty, wonderfully pleased. “Will, what are you doing?”
He kept doing it. His hands moved up to her waist. She let them. She'd been having fantasies about this. But when the hands suddenly shot up and clamped onto her barely-grown-yet breasts, squeezing hard, she panicked. “What are you doing?”
He kept doing it. “Will! Stop it!”
He didn't. She stood there a couple more seconds. Everything she knew about Will conflicted with what was happening. He started sucking on her neck, trying to make a hickey.
“Stop it
now
or I'll hurt you.”
now
or I'll hurt you.”
He continued.
She hurt him, stomping hard on his foot, then turning and kneed him in the groin. She hadn't meant to do the latterâshe still thought he was Willâbut her body had a mind of its own. Only when he staggered back, clutching his crotch, did she see who it was. “Get out of here,” she growled. “Don't you ever talk to me again! I'll tell!”
“You loved it.”
She glared at him. “I
hate
you!” She stepped toward him, seeing red.
hate
you!” She stepped toward him, seeing red.
Still holding his crotch, he stepped back. “You thought I was my little brother. You want to fuck him, don't you!”
“I'll tell!”
“Tell that you want to fuck him? You'd be better off fucking me. At least I've got something to fuck you with.”
That was when she grabbed a butcher knife out of the dish drainer. “Get out.”
“You wouldn't cut me.”
She moved forward, with every intention of cutting him. “Want to try me?”
He grinned, a lot like he had just now, but back then he didn't know you had to squinch up your eyes to make people think you were really smiling. He had dead eyes. She moved toward him. He turned and ran.
That felt good. Will showed up a few minutes later and she didn't tell him. How could she say she let Pete touch her because she thought he was Will? It was too embarrassing. It still embarrassed her. She should have told him back then. Risked the friendship. Maybe Will would have gotten the hint.
“You still holding a grudge, Mags?” Pete walked closer. “We were kids.”
She stood her ground. “I was a child and you knew exactly what you were doing.”
“Those were sweet little boobies. Ah, come on, don't look like that. I don't mean anything by it. I was inexperienced, too. I hadn't felt many. You were so pretty, I just couldn't control myself.”
“Bullshit. The way I looked is no excuse. You would have raped me if you could have.”
He held his hands out palms up in a gesture of helplessness. “Boys that ageâ”
“Don't even say it or I'll crush them for you again.”
“I'm sorry. I'm very sorry.” He smiled again, like that was all it took. “You and Will ever get it on? You sure wanted him back then. I've seen you two around town together, even when he was married. Always a bridesmaid?”
“You cuckolded him.”
“And you weren't fucking him on the side? Come on. Everybody does it.”
“No. Some people don't. Believe it or not.” She wanted to say more, but he would have enjoyed it too much if she'd gone on the defensive.
“Look, I'm really sorry. For then and for just now. You know what it is?”
“No, I don't.”
“My baby brother doesn't like me and I guess I still wonder if you didn't turn him.”
“I never told him what you did.”
“Why not? Embarrassed that you liked it?” He smiled but forgot to crinkle his eyes. “I'm sorry. I just need to know why he didn't like me. Why he still doesn't.”
“Oh, please. Maybe crap like that works on your girlfriends, but don't try it on me. You know why he doesn't like you.”
She turned and walked away, almost certain she could hear him laughing behind the roar of the waves.
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